SBP BlogSBP Bloghttp://www.stonebridge.com/Tue, 18 Dec 2018 08:06:42 GMThttp://backend.userland.com/rssRSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/Japanese Buddhist T.K. Nakagaki sets out to educate West on swastika of good fortune<p>The Kyodo News profiles Rev. Dr. T.K. Nakagaki's mission to educate the west on the origins of the Buddhist Swastika. His new book <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-buddhist-swastika-and-hitlers-cross">The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross</a> </em>gracefully
explains this ancient symbols origins and how it was misappropriated by the forces of evil.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">"When monk Rev. Kenjitsu Nakagaki was honoring Buddha's birthday with a sacred flower ceremony at a shrine in Seattle in 1986, he was met with sharp criticism
for the chrysanthemums he arranged in the shape of a counterclockwise swastika. </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Nakagaki, then 25, who moved to Seattle from Osaka, Japan, for his first mission the previous year, was unaware neo-Nazis and white supremacists continued
to use the Nazi swastika to promote hate. He knew the symbol as "manji," a Chinese character that means "good fortune" in the Japanese language.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">"You can't do that in this country," Nakagaki recounted a devoted temple member's words in telling him to remove from the roof of the flower shrine a symbol
that is a racial epithet in the United States and Europe.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">"After I got that lesson, I decided not to use that particular symbol -- for the past 25 years."</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">But such episodes in which Nakagaki felt Buddhism was being marginalized piled up. And at a 2009 interfaith workshop, where a hate crimes expert called
the swastika "a universal symbol of hate and evil," he made the decision to preserve the emblem's original meaning.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">"This narrow and limited perspective is unacceptable for those of us who value and have grown up with the swastika in our religions and culture," said
the 57-year-old."</p>
<p>Read the full article here: <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/12/ccd8c3f2984d-feature-japanese-buddhist-out-to-educate-west-on-swastika-of-good-fortune.html?fbclid=IwAR0nCd4d42oiRnOPQpT81UMX2lXpARZytLUH6n1Rci3ohfjKjY2ziyyJmxs" target="_blank">ttps://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/12/ccd8c3f2984d-feature-japanese-buddhist-out-to-educate-west-on-swastika-of-good-fortune.html?fbclid=IwAR0nCd4d42oiRnOPQpT81UMX2lXpARZytLUH6n1Rci3ohfjKjY2ziyyJmxs</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1031215&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fjapanese-buddhist-t-k-nakagaki-sets-out-to-educate-west-on-swastika-of-good-fortunehttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/japanese-buddhist-t-k-nakagaki-sets-out-to-educate-west-on-swastika-of-good-fortuneMon, 17 Dec 2018 15:28:00 GMTRightstuf dives into 'A Shameful Life', the new translation of Osamu Dazai's Ningen shikkaku<p>Thanks to Quinn at Rightstuf Anime for reviewing <i><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">A Shameful Life</a></i>,
Mark Gibeau's new translation of the classic by Osamu Dazai. As a recurring character in the anime Bungo Stray Dogs, learn more about who this mysterious
character is by reading his last and most famous work.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"For those familiar with the anime <a href="https://www.rightstufanime.com/search?keywords=bungo%20stray%20dogs"><em>Bungo Stray Dogs</em></a>, you’re
most likely aware that the majority of the main cast of characters are all based on famous real-life authors. Among them is <a href="https://www.rightstufanime.com/search?keywords=osamu+dazai"><em>Osamu Dazai</em></a>.
In the show, the character of Dazai is best known for his easy-go-lucky attitude, his penchant for trying to commit suicide, and his failure to do
so. Dazai’s depiction is one of the reasons I was interested in reading A Shameful Life, which was written by the real-life Osamu Dazai, and, sadly,
mirrors his own life. After reading the book from cover to cover I can’t help but pity the man who penned its words."</p>
<p>Read the full review here: <a href="https://www.rightstufanime.com/post/a-shameful-life-review" target="_blank">https://www.rightstufanime.com/post/a-shameful-life-review</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1031214&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252frightstuf-dives-into-a-shameful-life-new-translation-of-osamu-dazais-ningen-shikkakuhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/rightstuf-dives-into-a-shameful-life-new-translation-of-osamu-dazais-ningen-shikkakuMon, 17 Dec 2018 14:43:00 GMTThe difference between Mark Gibeau's and Donald Keene's translation of Osamu Dazai's 'Ningen Shikkaku'<p><em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">A Shameful Life</a>,&nbsp;</em>Mark Gibeau's new translation of the Osamu
Dazai classic,&nbsp;<em>Ningen shikkaku </em>is finally available. But many are wondering how different is Gibeau's version from Donald Keene's 1948
translation,&nbsp;<em>No Longer Human</em>?</p>
<p>Serdar Yegulalp from <a href="https://www.ganriki.org/article/a-shameful-life/" target="_blank">Ganriki.org</a> has written an in depth analysis of the
two and how they differ from each other, as well as to the original Japanese.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The first question people are likely to ask is: If I'm new to No Longer Human, should I start with this version? My short answer is "Probably." Keene's
version is slightly more polished as a reading experience, but Gibeau's version is a slightly more faithful translation &mdash; there's more of a sense
of how Dazai's original sentences and compositions came together on the page, even when they are not necessarily reader-friendly."</p>Read the full
article here: <a href="https://www.ganriki.org/article/a-shameful-life/" target="_blank">https://www.ganriki.org/article/a-shameful-life/</a>
<br />&nbsp;
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1031059&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fthe-difference-between-mark-gibeaus-and-donald-keenes-translation-of-osamu-dazais-ningen-shikkakuhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/the-difference-between-mark-gibeaus-and-donald-keenes-translation-of-osamu-dazais-ningen-shikkakuMon, 10 Dec 2018 17:16:00 GMTHuffPost includes Understanding China Through Comics series in foreign policy education list<p>Jing Liu's <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-understanding-china-through-comics-series">Understanding China Through Comics series</a> has
made HuffPost's "5 Graphic Novels That Could Teach Indian Politicians Something About Foreign Policy" list!&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<p>Lindsay Pereira says of HuffPost says "Given China's superpower ambitions, it goes without saying that our politicians must pick up a copy." Thanks
for that Lindsay, we agree!&nbsp;</p>
<p>Pick up the comics here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-understanding-china-through-comics-series">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-understanding-china-through-comics-series</a> </p>
<p>Read the full list here: <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/11/22/5-graphic-novels-that-could-teach-indian-politicians-something-about-foreign-policy_a_23595825/" target="_blank">https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/11/22/5-graphic-novels-that-could-teach-indian-politicians-something-about-foreign-policy_a_23595825/</a>
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</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1030604&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fhuffpost-includes-understanding-china-through-comics-series-in-foreign-policy-education-listhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/huffpost-includes-understanding-china-through-comics-series-in-foreign-policy-education-listMon, 26 Nov 2018 20:09:00 GMT'A Shameful Life' reviewed by The Complete Review <p>
<a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku"></a><em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">A Shameful Life: Ningen shikkaku</a>, </em>the new translation
of the Osamu Dazai classic translated by Mark Gibeau has been reviewed by The Complete Review.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Powerful... a fascinating psychological portrait, of someone trying (or rather, constantly failing) to come to terms with a self they find unbearable."</p>
<p>Many thanks to M.A.Orthofer at The Complete Review for his in depth analysis of this new translation. Read the full review here: <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/dazai/ningen_shikkaku.htm" target="_blank">http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/dazai/ningen_shikkaku.htm</a>
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<br />&nbsp;</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1030602&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fa-shameful-life-reviewed-by-the-complete-reviewhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/a-shameful-life-reviewed-by-the-complete-reviewMon, 26 Nov 2018 19:58:00 GMTAuthor, Alexandra Johnson shares 'The Fourth String' blurb<p>We're proud to share that Alexandra Johnson, author of <em>The Hidden Writer </em>has shared her blurb on Janet Pocorobba's upcoming memoir <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me">The Fourth String: A Memoir of Sensei and Me</a>.&nbsp;</em>
</p>
<p>The PEN/Jerard Fund Award Citation for nonfiction recipient shared her thoughts with us on the upcoming book, due in March of 2019.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">"In this hauntingly beautiful memoir, Janet Pocorobba shows us a world within a world that we’ve never seen before. This is a Japan where ancient and modern
meet, where longing and belonging, foreign and familiar, are searingly depicted within the lives of two women. As a young American apprentices herself
to learning a difficult ancient stringed instrument, the quest is less musical as inner mastery. </p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">In <em>The Fourth String</em>, Pocorobba’s achievement is the subtle way she’s transformed how memoir so often only explores the men in <em>men</em>tor.
In her hands, narrator and writer alike, master complex and completely new notes deep within that most foreign of countries: the human psyche.Elegantly
spare yet detail rich, <em>The Fourth</em> <em>String</em> is a beautifully crafted, moving memoir."</p>
<p>Read more about the book here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me</a> </p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1030575&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fauthor-alexandra-johnson-shares-the-fourth-string-blurbhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/author-alexandra-johnson-shares-the-fourth-string-blurbFri, 23 Nov 2018 18:54:00 GMTJapan Today interview with 'Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan' author Amy Chavez<p>Learn more about Amy Chavez and the small island in Japan's Inland Sea where she lives, as well as why and how she compiled the advice for her new book
<em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/amys-guide-to-best-behavior-in-japan" target="_blank">Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan: Do it Right and Be Polite!</a></em>
</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b>JT:</b>"You’ve published the books "Running the Shikoku Pilgrimage: 900 Miles to Enlightenment” and “Japan, Funny Side Up.” This time, for "Amy’s Guide
to Best Behavior in Japan," what convinced you to write a book on etiquette in Japan?</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b>AC</b>: This book is basically a response to all the people complaining about bad tourist manners. Everyday in the Japanese and foreign media here you
read about poor tourist behavior and frankly, I'm afraid there's going to be a backlash &mdash; like locals not wanting foreigners in their establishments.
Also, I was afraid that many tourists were actually going to take advantage of the kind Japanese and their <em>omotenashi</em> (hospitality).</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">That said, whether it's the “Ugly American” in Europe, the “Party Going Australian” in Bali or the “Pushy Chinese” in Japan, it’s my belief that people
don't mean to be rude &mdash; they just don't know any better.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">A lot of research went into it asking experts &mdash; like tourism boards, those who manage ryokan and restaurants, the Ogasawara School of Etiquette
(to name a few) &mdash; and Japanese locals alike. Not everyone agrees with everything in the book, but we tried to find a happy medium that most
Japanese people would agree on and that most tourists could comply with. No one is telling people they have to follow everything in the book. It's
just telling them what the standard is for Japanese people."</p>
<p>Read the full interview here: <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/doing-it-right-and-being-polite-an-interview-with-writer-amy-chavez" target="_blank">https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/doing-it-right-and-being-polite-an-interview-with-writer-amy-chavez</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1030447&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fjapan-today-interview-with-amys-guide-to-best-behavior-in-japan-author-amy-chavezhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/japan-today-interview-with-amys-guide-to-best-behavior-in-japan-author-amy-chavezMon, 19 Nov 2018 14:39:00 GMT&quot;The Japan Times&quot; review 'A Shameful Life'<p>A journey to hell with Osamu Dazai, Japan’s ultimate bad boy novelist. Damian Flanagan dives into the new translation by Mark Gibeau of this classic by
Osamu Dazai, <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">A Shameful Life: Ningen Shikkaku</a>.&nbsp;</em>
</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">"Dazai is the ultimate bad boy of Japanese literature and “Ningen Shikkaku” is his supreme masterpiece, a novel that still shocks today with its brutal
honesty and unflinching, strangely thrilling pessimism. Nothing remotely like it had been seen in Japanese literature before.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">To gain a sense of its impact, we should think perhaps of the words of Yukio Mishima when he had previously discovered other similarly morally liberating
art works by Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde: “Evil had been unleashed &hellip; moralizing was nowhere to be seen.”</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">As it happens, Mishima loathed Dazai, undoubtedly because he owed him so much in influence. Once, he followed Dazai to a party, styling himself as Dazai’s
assassin, and told him to his face, “I hate your literature.” Dazai coolly looked him up and down and replied, “And yet you are here.”"</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Read the full review here:<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/11/10/books/journey-hell-japans-ultimate-bad-boy-novelist/#.W-nQBJNKhPY">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/11/10/books/journey-hell-japans-ultimate-bad-boy-novelist/#.W-nQBJNKhPY</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Big thanks to Damian Flanagan for his expertise in reviewing <em>A Shameful Life, </em>and as always a big thank you <em>The Japan Times </em>for covering
it. The book is available now! Grab your copy from your favorite retailer here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku</a>
<br /><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/a-shameful-life-ningen-shikkaku">&nbsp;</a>
</p>
<br />
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1030283&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fthe-japan-times-review-a-shameful-lifehttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/the-japan-times-review-a-shameful-lifeMon, 12 Nov 2018 20:33:00 GMTOtakuUSA speaks with Frederik L. Schodt and others to celebrate Osamu Tezuka's 90th Birthday<p>To celebrate Osamu Tezuka's 90th birthday, OtakuUSA's Danica Davidson spoke with Frederik L. Schodt, Jared Cook, and a bunch of publishers who have helped
to bring the God of Manga's work out in English.</p>
<p>SBP author Frederik L. Schodt explains his beginning of meeting Tezuka and how he and Jared Cook became Tezuka's personal interpreters. Also, learn about
the far reaching legacy of the "God of Manga" and how his work pushed the boundaries of storytelling and continues to inspire people around the world.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<p>Read the article here: <a href="http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/celebrating-90-years-of-osamu-tezuka-the-god-of-manga/" target="_blank">http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/celebrating-90-years-of-osamu-tezuka-the-god-of-manga/</a>
</p>
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</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1029935&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fotakuusa-speaks-with-frederik-l-schodt-and-others-to-celebrate-osamu-tezukas-90th-birthdayhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/otakuusa-speaks-with-frederik-l-schodt-and-others-to-celebrate-osamu-tezukas-90th-birthdayMon, 05 Nov 2018 14:23:00 GMT'My Year of Dirt and Water' reviewed by the Asian Review of Books<p>We are pleased to share that the Asian Review of Books has shared their review of Tracy Franz's <i><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water">My Year of Dirt and Water: Journal of a Zen Monk's Wife in Japan</a>.&nbsp;</i>
</p>
<p>
<p style="">"If you live in a foreign country for any length of time, it’s inevitable that some of its customs and culture will rub off, whatever you do to try
and avoid it. On the other hand, however well you “adjust” to the new culture, you will never be part of it."</p>
<p style="">John Butler's excellently written review dives to the heart of Tracy's story and unlocks the feeling of being an outsider in a foreign country.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="">
<div>"Franz has written a moving account of her experiences, not just what it’s like to be the wife of a Zen priest who is also a gaijin, but of what
it’s like when you finally understand.”&mdash;Asian Review of Books</div>
</p>A big thanks to reviewer John Butler and the Editors at the Asian Review of books. Read the full review here: <a href="http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/my-year-of-dirt-and-water-journal-of-a-zen-monks-wife-in-japan-by-tracy-franz/" target="_blank">http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/my-year-of-dirt-and-water-journal-of-a-zen-monks-wife-in-japan-by-tracy-franz/</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1029718&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fmy-year-of-dirt-and-water-reviewed-by-the-asian-review-of-bookshttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water-reviewed-by-the-asian-review-of-booksMon, 29 Oct 2018 19:49:00 GMTAuthor T.K. Nakagaki to speak at Kinokuniya New York on 'The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross'<p>For those in New York, Kinokuniya will be hosting an author talk and book signing with author of <i><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-buddhist-swastika-and-hitlers-cross">The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross: Rescuing a Symbol of Peace from the Forces of Hate</a>,</i>&nbsp;Rev.
Dr. T.K. Nakagaki.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<p>The swastika has been used for over three thousand years by billions of people in many cultures and religions&mdash;including Buddhism, Jainism and
Hinduism&mdash;as an auspicious symbol of the sun and good fortune. However, beginning with its hijacking and misappropriation by Nazi Germany,
it has also been used, and continues to be used, as a symbol of hate in the Western World. Hitler's device is in fact a "hooked cross." Rev. Nakagaki's
book explains how and why these symbols got confused, and offers a path to peace, understanding, and reconciliation.</p>
<div>Saturday, November 10, 2018</div>
<div>2:00 PM 3:30 PM</div>
<div>Kinokuniya New York</div>
<div>1073 6th Avenue </div>
<div>New York, NY, 10018 United States&nbsp;</div>
<p>More information here: <a href="https://usa.kinokuniya.com/event-calendar/2018/11/20/rev-dr-tk-nakagaki" target="_blank">https://usa.kinokuniya.com/event-calendar/2018/11/20/rev-dr-tk-nakagaki</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>
<br />
</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1029499&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fauthor-t-k-nakagaki-to-speak-at-kinokuniya-new-york-on-the-buddhist-swastika-and-hitlers-crosshttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/author-t-k-nakagaki-to-speak-at-kinokuniya-new-york-on-the-buddhist-swastika-and-hitlers-crossMon, 22 Oct 2018 17:40:00 GMT'How to Take a Japanese Bath' new edition<p>Since its first publication in 1992, <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/how-to-take-a-japanese-bath">How to Take a Japanese Bath</a> </em>by
Leonard Koren, with illustrations by Suehiro Maruo&nbsp;has become a curious classic, taking a simple (yet often incorrectly performed) activity and
depicting it with a graphic, manga-style edge.</p>
<p>In twelve drawings a young Japanese man is shown preparing, rinsing, soaking, communing, relaxing, contemplating&mdash;all an encouragement to readers
to slow down, ease into the hot water, and enjoy this timeless ritual of purity and release.</p>In Japan bathing is a ritual that since ancient times
has offered spiritual contentment through the purification and cleansing of the physical body. This brief guide describes the twelve steps in taking a
hot, sensual, Japanese-style bath&mdash;from the moment inspiration strikes, through the lathering and rinsing (outside the tub), to soaking, relaxing,
and letting the mind wander through the universe until it's time for an apres-bath cool off. Useful to travelers, <em>How to Take a Japanese Bath </em>is
also for hedonists, hot tubbers, and fans of stylish, understated graphic art.&nbsp;
<p>Pick up your copy from your favorite retailer here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/how-to-take-a-japanese-bath ">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/how-to-take-a-japanese-bath</a> &nbsp;
<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="/images/books/1 Photos of Books/How to Take a Japanese Bath 2/IMG_5781.jpg">
</p>
<p><img src="/images/books/1 Photos of Books/How to Take a Japanese Bath 2/IMG_5782.jpg">
</p>
<p><img src="/images/books/1 Photos of Books/How to Take a Japanese Bath 2/IMG_5783.jpg">
</p>
<p><img src="/images/books/1 Photos of Books/How to Take a Japanese Bath 2/IMG_5784.jpg">
</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1028693&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fhow-to-take-a-japanese-bath-new-editionhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/how-to-take-a-japanese-bath-new-editionTue, 02 Oct 2018 20:13:00 GMTThe Japan Times reviews 'My Year of Dirt and Water'<p>We are thrilled to share that <em>The Japan Times </em>has published their favorable review of Tracy Franz's new memoir <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water">My Year of Dirt and Water: Journal of a Zen Monk's Wife in Japan</a>.&nbsp;</em>
</p>
<p>A big thank you to the wonderful writer and reviewer Suzanne Kamata for capturing the elegance and feeling of intimacy in Tracy's book.&nbsp;</p>
<div>"Tracy Franz's poignant memoir, <em>My Year of Dirt and Water</em>, is full of carefully observed details. . . what emerges is a discreet love story, but
also an account of a woman discovering her own inner strength while living in Japan."&mdash;<strong>The Japan Times</strong>
</div>
<p>Read the full review at The Japan Times here: <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/09/29/books/dirt-difficulty-life-wife-buddhist-monk/#.W7JRLGhKhPY" target="_blank">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/09/29/books/dirt-difficulty-life-wife-buddhist-monk/#.W7JRLGhKhPY</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/09/29/books/dirt-difficulty-life-wife-buddhist-monk/#.W7JRLGhKhPY" target="_blank"></a>Head to the book page on our website to order from your favorite retailer: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1028582&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fthe-japan-times-reviews-my-year-of-dirt-and-waterhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/the-japan-times-reviews-my-year-of-dirt-and-waterMon, 01 Oct 2018 17:47:00 GMTPolitics and Prose Bookstore reviews Tracy Franz's 'My Year of Dirt and Water<p>We're delighted to share that celebrated Washington D.C. bookstore <a href="https://www.politics-prose.com/staff-pick/my-year-of-dirt-and-water-tracy-franz" target="_blank">Politics and Prose</a> has written a review of Tracy Franz's new memoir <i><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water">My Year of Dirt and Water: Journal of a Zen Monk's Wife in Japan</a>.&nbsp;</i>
</p>
<p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Franz’s beautifully crafted memoir chronicles the months that she and her husband, both Americans, lived in Japan, separated by the rules of the Zen
monastery where Koun was cloistered. Presented as a diary, the book is both immediate and reflective, full of anecdotes from Franz’s daily life
as a gaijin as well as meditations on time, love, culture, and more. </p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">Franz is a compassionate and keenly observant writer, always trying to understand the rituals that shape her new life, and, as in her pottery class,
always feeling she fails. Yet ultimately she learns to understand by not understanding, to see by not seeing&mdash;lessons which also help her
confront the difficulties of her past. As she comes to accept the damaged and flawed parts of herself she’d once wanted only to abandon, her writing
grows steadily more relaxed and humorous, her stories more vivid. </p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">By the end, you’ll miss both Franz and the many students, colleagues, monks, and relatives she’s helped you get to know. But you’ll also recognize
that letting go is part of keeping, a truth Franz gestures to in her title, with its allusion to the primary elements of pottery: what remains
and what flows away."</p>
</p>
<p>A big thanks to Laurie G. who wrote the review, it truly is an honor! Get your copy of Tracy's book here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/my-year-of-dirt-and-water</a>
<br />&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1028418&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fpolitics-and-prose-bookstore-reviews-tracy-franzs-my-year-of-dirt-and-waterhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/politics-and-prose-bookstore-reviews-tracy-franzs-my-year-of-dirt-and-waterThu, 27 Sep 2018 14:35:00 GMTAuthor, Rachel Manley shares her thoughts on 'The Fourth String'<p>We are still months away from the publication of Janet Pocorobba's <em><a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me">The Fourth String</a>, </em>but
we've received wonderful words about the book from the literary world. Rachel Manley, author of Drumblair trilogy and recepient of Canada's Governor
General's Award for Literature has weighed in!&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote>
<div>
<p>"This exquisitely written memoir has found the hands to tell its story note by note as surely as the ancient Japanese shamisen “in need of hands
to play.” Guided by her own inner music and the unforgettable character Sensei, her maverick teacher, Janet Pocorobba takes us on a spiritual
quest in a new country and culture, the world of kabuki and music, the tastes and sights and sounds of Tokyo, the soul of a place whose past
secures hope and whose present yearns for modernity. Searching for her own illusive reality, the author learns to “live with both hands” finding
answers in her own “ma” of space." </p>
<p>Reserve your copy of <em>The Fourth String </em>here: <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me">https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-fourth-string-a-memoir-of-sensei-and-me</a>
<br />
</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.stonebridge.com/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=18101&A=Link&ObjectID=1028265&ObjectType=56&O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.stonebridge.com%252fsbp-blog%252fauthor-rachel-manley-shares-her-thoughts-on-the-fourth-stringhttp://www.stonebridge.com/sbp-blog/author-rachel-manley-shares-her-thoughts-on-the-fourth-stringMon, 24 Sep 2018 19:16:00 GMT